Conning mechanism for submarine boats.



T. S. BAILEY. comma MECHANISM FOR SUBMARINE BOATS. APPLICATION FILED FBILZG, 1908. 1 7 191 Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

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| l s 1 yvrmssa: 7,, J g INVENTOR I v a T. S. BAILEY, GONNING MgGHANISM FOR SUBMARINE BOAT APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 26', 190B Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

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INVENTOR I nmy ATTORNEY rigrnn'r OFFICE.

THEODORUS S. BAILEY, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T ELECTRIC BOAT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONNING MECHANISM FOR SUBMARINE BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

Application filed February 26, 1908. Serial No. 417,955.

a citizen of the United States, residing at Quincy, county of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conning Mechanism for Submarine Boats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a periscope for submarine vessels, in which the periscope tube as a whole may be raised or lowered at will and can be rotated on'a vertical axis to scan the entire horizon.

The character of the improved mechanism in its details will be understood from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which'the same reference characters refer to like parts throughout.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section through the axis of the vessel showing the conning tower andadjacent parts of a submarine boat of standard construction showing the improved periscope in place; Fig. 2 is a central vertical j port B, butv the periscope may readily befitted outside the tower if proper provision is made for supporting the parts. Secured in the periscope support B and extending down through the conning tower and suitably supported at its-base is a casing a constituting a cylinder within which the piston hereinafter described moves, and having a smiling box at each end, through which the periscope tube 6 passes. The periscope tubeis provided at the upper end with an object lens a of-standard type and at its lower end with theordinary telescopic eyepiece d. In.

the central portion'of the tube is the middle lens 0, which, in. the particular fo'rmshown,

'is mounted within the pistomliereinaften mentioned, but may be otherwise located in the tube and supported in any suitable way to give the desired eifect in transmit ting the light rays down the tube in the proper way. Surrounding the periscope tube within the casing z and suitably at tached to the tube is a piston f. Mounted in a suitable bracket (as indicated at g in Fig. 5) and held thereby in fixed position, is a gear wheel h meshing with the screw 2', these parts being of the now well known construction for rotating the periscope tube. In order,-however, that the periscope tube may be raised and lowered through this sta tionary gear the gear is not secured to the periscope tube, but is adapted to be clutched thereto by the mechanism illustrated particularly in Figs. 2, 4L and 5, from which it will be seen that the inner surface of the gear I; is shaped like the frustum of a cone and is screw-threaded on. its upper portion, and entering the space between the periscope tube and the innerjsurface of the gear h is the hub of hand wheel 70, which is screwthreaded to engage the screw threads on the inner surface of the gear h and is tapered and split atits lower part so that when the hand wheel is is screwed down the tapered portions of the-hub wedge between the periscope tube and the innersurface of the gear' h to clutch the gear to the tube. This clutch. mechanism has been adopted as a convenient form, but it will be understood that any other suitable clutch ,may be substituted therefor. When the clutch is locked the periscope tube cannot be raised or lowered, but it may be rotated'by turning the screw 2'.

For the purpose of raising andlowering the periscope when-it is uncllitched the following mechanism is provided.- Communicatingwit-h the upper end of the casing a is a pipe in which is-connected a hand pump m and which communicates'with an oil tank a. The pump section is "bridged. by'a by-pass 0 controlled by a valve 0. Communicating 'with'the lower end of the a' hand pump 9 and which -corn]nunicates with the oil tank r. The pipe 2) is bridged by a bypass 8 containing a valve 8.

It will "be observed that the stuflingbolu at the upper end of the periscope tube is contained in a casing t which engages the upper end of the caslng an and may be re moved therefrom's'othat by, removing from the lower end of the periscope tube the, horicylinder at is a pipe p in -'which is connected the periscope tube is not in service at that time, the clutch mechanism is in position to unclutch the tube from the gear h. To raise the periscope the valveoin the by pass 0 is opened and the valve 8' in by-pass s is closed. Thereupon'by operating the hand pump 9 oil is pumped from the tank 1- through pipe p beneath the piston f in casing a, thereby elevating the periscope to the desired position, during which movement the oil above the piston flows out through pipe Z, by-pass 0, valve 0', into the tank n. When the periscope tube has been sufficiently elevated the hand wheel lb is operated to clutch the tube and the gear h, whereupon the tube may be rotated by turning the screw z toscan the entire field of vision. When it is desired to lower the tube the hand wheel k is turned to unclutch the parts and the valve 0 is closed and the valve .9 opened and the pump m is operated to introduce the oil above the piston, forcing out the oil beneath the piston into tank 7'.

By using oil as the actuating fluid, certain important advantages are attained in that any liability to freezing is avoided and particularly the parts are well lubricated so that the periscope tube slides easily throughthe stufiing boxes at each end.

Furthermore, the oil protects the packing in the stulfing box from corrosion by the salt water and serves as a fluid lock to lock the periscope tube in any desired position and to cushion its movement. It will be understood, however, that any other fluid may be used for the mere purpose of elevating and lowering the periscope. It will also be unders'tood that instead of using hand pumps or power-pumps for pumping the fluid, the fluid may'be retained in'tanks under. air pressure and controlled in the proper way to elevate and lower the periscope tube.

1. In conning mechanism for submarine boats, the combination with a periscope tube carrying at its upper'end an object lens and at its lower end an eye-piece, of a piston tive fluid to said piston at will to raise the periscope tube bodily substantially; as described. I v

2. In conning mechanism for submarine boats, the combination with a periscope tube carrying at its upper end an object lens and at its lower end an eye-piece, of a casing surrounding said tube between the object lens and eye-piece, a piston on the tube within the casing, and means for supplying motive fluid to the casing at either side of the piston at will to raise or lower the periscope tube bodily; substantially as described.

3. In' conning mechanism for submarine boats, a periscope tube carrying at its up per end an object lens and at its lower end an eye-piece, a casing surrounding said tube between the object-lens and eye-piece, and a piston on the tube within the casing, said casing projecting outside of the boat so that it is exposed to the sea water during submergence, and having atits exposed end a closure containing a stufiing box through which the tube projects from within the boat to the outside thereof, in combination with a source of oil supply, connections between the two ends of the casing and the said source, and means for withdrawing the oil from one side of the piston and supplying it to the other side to raise or lower the periscope tube bodily, substantially as described.

at. In conning mechanism for submarine. boats, the combination with a periscope tube carrying at its upper end an object lens. and at its lower end an eye-piece, a casing surrounding said tube between the object lens and eye-piece, a piston on the tube within the casing, and means for supplying motive fluid to the casing'at will to raise the periscope tube bodily, of gearing for rotating the tube on its vertical axis and a clutch be tween the gearing and tube, whereby the gearing may be released from the tube when I 

